also 'Learned' is from American English, which is a slightly simplified version of British English with regards to verbal conjugations and spelling fo? words. In American English, the spelling of words more reflects they way that they are pronounces, whereas in British English the spelling of words is much more etymological, signifying the Latin,Greek, French or whatever root the words may have originated from. =]

unless of course PUTs itself is referring to the process of the second action, and not so much referring to the result of the action, implying that? although the competitor may actually be out of a business, the action isn't completed, and the consuming of noodles from the factory is an ongoing process. Hope this helps.

The factory effectively PUT its largest competitor out of business. .. NOT PUTS!!
because this sentence comes? right after the sentence where we learn that the consumers have ALREADY consumed a certain amount (a LOT) of this factory's product ( noodles). so the factory has ALREADY put its largest competitor out of business!